Based on a story by the late Ruth Rendell, 'The New Girlfriend' has the very pretty Anaïs Demoustier as the tomboyish Claire, who, when her best friend dies, discovers the friend's husband David (Romain Duris) is a cross-dresser. At first unsure how to treat David, she eventually responds to his loneliness and the pair grow closer. But what implications does the burgeoning relationship have for Claire's own sexuality and her relationship with her husband (Raphaël Personnaz, also very pretty)?
The problem I have with this is that it is difficult to know what director/adaptor François Ozon is aiming for: social drama, or romcom? There are elements of both: David's assertion that he is not homosexual is believable and the scenes when he (in drag) and Claire go on holiday have a nice naturalistic feel about them. But then there are scenes played for laughs, such as when, dressed as a man, David sits in a faux-feminine position or forgets to wipe off his lipstick when greeting his mother-in-law. Perhaps the biggest problem of all is Duris: he's a fine actor, but with his height and heavy five o'clock shadow (which even the make-up department can't hide) he makes about as convincing a woman as did Bernard Bresslaw in all those 'Carry on' films...
The problem I have with this is that it is difficult to know what director/adaptor François Ozon is aiming for: social drama, or romcom? There are elements of both: David's assertion that he is not homosexual is believable and the scenes when he (in drag) and Claire go on holiday have a nice naturalistic feel about them. But then there are scenes played for laughs, such as when, dressed as a man, David sits in a faux-feminine position or forgets to wipe off his lipstick when greeting his mother-in-law. Perhaps the biggest problem of all is Duris: he's a fine actor, but with his height and heavy five o'clock shadow (which even the make-up department can't hide) he makes about as convincing a woman as did Bernard Bresslaw in all those 'Carry on' films...